Rainbow Promises
by Imaginator
Summary: Takes place a few years after the worlds separate. Kairi wonders if she'll ever meet Sora again. (One shot)


Ohayo! This is my first ever one-shot and my first KH ficcie, so be nice! Or else, I'll get my bunny to glomp you (and believe me, you DON'T want my bunny to glomp you...)

Read and review!! (onegai?)

In honor of a good pal, Yuncyn (muahahaha....) who is, sadly, better at this writing stuff than me...(siigh...)

Disclaimer: (pulls out lawyer) This, is in case anyone accuses me of NOT owning Kingdom Hearts, I DO!!!  
Okay, so I don't.....

Rainbow Promises

Spring was in the air; it sang through her very veins as she made her way down to the beach, breathing in the clean, crisp air of a new morning, bounding off the rocks and sinking her feet into the callused, warm sand, surveying the evergreen palms swaying side to side with affection. Hugging her arms to herself around the middle, the sudden, cool rush of the gentle waves lapping at her feet caused her to giggle as it always did, pausing only to listen to the ripples of her own laughter echo around her. Dropping carelessly down into a sitting position under a leafy bower and lifting her head, she closed her eyes and savored the kisses of the sun hungrily, impulsively reaching out her arms as if to catch the teasing breeze as it played with her hair, now a mane of silky smoothness cascading down her back.  
  
It was a good day to be alive, she reflected, watching a lone albatross wing his way through the clear, blue sky. As she enjoyed the magnificent beauty Nature had not provided in vain before her thankful eyes, an idle thought took root in her mind, grew and bloomed into a myriad of questions not unasked before: Why was she still here? How many years had gone by since the worlds separated, leaving her stranded, alone? How had this island, their island, returned? Where are the others, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie? Where is Riku? Where is Sora?  
  
When will they meet again? Will they _ever_ meet again? Would she ever get the chance to look into those eyes as clear as the sparkling ocean before her, weary with the burden he carried, still carried, and tell him it was all right?  
  
Will he really come back for me?  
  
So many questions, all unanswerable for so many different reasons even she couldn't begin to comprehend. A sad smile flitted across Kairi's lips as she shaded her eyes, looking across the endless ocean as if expecting to see a certain gummi ship silhouetted against the skyline. As her eyes scanned the skies fruitlessly, the wind suddenly picked up, tugging her hair into snarls and tangles, causing her eyes to water as stray crumbs of sand clouded her vision and blurred the beautiful landscape before her. The crystalline of the cerulean sea, only so calm a few moments ago, shimmered and dulled as the sky rumbled and darkened before her disbelieving eyes. It was yet too early into spring to have a full storm, but the tell-tale blackness of the clouds sweeping across the horizon, brimming almost over with pent-up fury and threatening to flood her little island told her otherwise.  
  
Scrambling hastily to her feet, Kairi ran breathlessly along the length of the beach, the storm clouds pursuing her relentlessly, drenching the beach at her heels. Dashing into the nearby cave, Kairi sat back on her heels and panted from the exertion whilst the storm raged outside, causing the beach to be illuminated with stark white light before a resounding crash of thunder followed, drowning out all sounds but its own. For a few minutes, Kairi remained where she was, listening intently to the storm wreck its havoc. Then she laughed unexpectedly.  
  
"You can't get me today, Mr. Storm," she cried out triumphantly into the blindness of sleet, fast and furious as it rained down unto the trees, "And you won't get me ever! Not if I can help it!"  
  
Stumbling back into the cave, Kairi laughed and laughed until the tears rolled down her cheeks. Then the laughter abruptly turned into anger as she shook her fist at the storm clouds.  
  
"You go away! You're stopping Sora from coming back to get me! You're blocking his way, I tell you! Go away! I hate you!", the last few words, screamed hysterically into the night, becoming a sob as Kairi sank to her knees, the tears still silently continuing their pilgrimage down the side of her face.  
  
"I hate you," she softly whispered, "And I hate me."  
  
For a while, only quiet sobbing could be heard, drowned out by the rain as it trickled down hidden crevices and rivulets in the great cave wall to form a shining pool at her feet, mirroring the grief-stricken girl, who sat staring listlessly at the darkness within the heart of her shelter, tears flowing steadily to join the puddles on the ground.  
  
Kairi had been told more than once how Sora had gone out to search for her when they had first disappeared without the slightest trace, her and Riku. Narrations with more than just admiration laced within the words were poured unendingly into her ears about the hardships he had endured to get to her, of the Heartless monsters he had to take on to the Heartless themselves and how he had managed to defeat all of them with the power imbedded not only in the Keyblade, but in his heart, pure and full of light. Even stoic Leon had admitted a grudging respect for the determined Wielder of the Keyblade, going as far as to assist Sora in times of need. The tales of how he had strove to wake her from her catatonic state was not lost to her either. Kairi herself had had experiences with Sora to know that what she had heard was the simple and pure truth.  
  
And now, Sora was lost to her. And she couldn't help him, unable to do so much even as to leave this island. Outside, thunder lashed its heavy whip with a vengeance, mirroring Kairi's own anger at herself.  
  
Then suddenly, she sprang to her feet, her face alit with hope and anticipation, a memory resurfacing from within the treasured store of sentimental memories to get her through life, each day at a time. Once, when Sora had recapitulated his journeys for her benefit, he had mentioned a door...yes! That was it! A door between worlds...that connected and juxtaposed them together. He had told her, with a smile crinkling his eyes and an infectious grin tugging at his lower lip, how he started his adventures, had crossed the threshold of the unknown and unexplored beyond his wildest dreams, by simply opening that door. And he had explained that the door lay within the heart of the island,: the cave, their secret place.  
  
Sprinting as fast as she could into the darkness, winding her way to the nook she knew she would find in the center of the cave, Kairi's thoughts soared and ran over themselves in their eagerness, her bare feet barely skimming the floor, littered with rocks and shrubs long since dead. Unheeding of the pain which sliced through her soles every time she felt herself step on something sharp, she plunged through the bushes that blocked her way and stumbled into the heart of the cavern...  
  
Only to feel her wildest hopes wither and blown away like the leaves in autumn, taking with them the one thing she sought most in the whole, wide world: The dream that she too could follow in Sora's footsteps and leave this world she had grown to loath without his presence. Now, like a final, jarring note of discord in a melody composed entirely on loving memories and perseverance, despair enveloped Kairi, smothering her, depriving her of what she needed only a little less than air...Sora was gone and she left behind. He wasn't on this island anymore and she was alone, screaming in the dark.  
  
Or was she? Through the waterfall of tears and multitude of broken sobs, a faint glow on the craggy wall caught her eye. Scooting over, a faint blush stained her hot cheeks as she stared at the picture so roughly imprinted into the wall. Reaching out, she reverently laid her fingers on the etch of young Sora in the act of offering a Papua fruit to a badly scratched-in version of herself. A faint smile materialized on the pale, wan face as she remembered the day she had first explored and discovered this upon her return to this island and her face became unusually warm at the memory of her impulsively seizing a rock and drawing in herself returning the fruit to him, smiling happily with the unbreakable faith that he would return to her someday.

Flashback

_ "You have to promise that you'll return this to me, ok?" Kairi asked Sora, who was staring at the charm she had placed in his hand. Sora looked up and grinned.  
  
"I promise."_

Flashback over

I promise...  
  
I promise...Tears cascaded down a pale cheek again, but not in sorrow any longer. He promised he would come back, had given her his word ...Even now, when she remembered that magical, mystical night when the lands had slid apart with a great shudder, when meteors had streaked the midnight sky and plummeted down to land to recreate this world, this island world, she could still see Sora, could still see him mouthing to her, I promise...  
  
Then morning had broken across the newly-made sky and she had laughed delightedly, for a rainbow had swept across the expanse of the blue canvas with a flourish, glittering and ethereal in its many-hued beauty, a God- sent sign telling Kairi all would be well, that soon, she would see Sora again...  
  
The unearthly silence of the cave brought Kairi back to herself as she stood up stiffly, her limbs protesting the sudden movement, her cerulean eyes puzzled and questioning. Gone was the girl wrecked and thrown into the storm; Sora's childish dream so carefully carved into the wall had planted the peace she so longed for into her distraught mind. Doubts and questions so long tormenting her were dissipated with the strength of a new-found faith on the broken foundations of the old one.  
  
Emerging from the darkness and solitude of the cave, she blinked hard and squinted, blocking her eyes from the rays of sunlight that pierced her yet-unadjusted vision to the light. She noted, to her satisfaction, that although a few trees were uprooted and now lay dismally on the rough sand, her island is none the worse for wear. As she rubbed her sore eyes, a reflected light amongst the clouds caught her eye. Chiding herself for her temporary distraction, she turned...  
  
And halted, her eyes fastened disbelievingly at the streak of various colors that was dashed against the sky as if a master artist had swept his brush across a Greater canvas than his own.  
  
It was a rainbow, a glorious, joyful, triumphant sign that the storm was not able to destroy everything, that hope and light were everlasting gifts that cannot be thrown away or dashed to pieces without leave. It was a promise that everything is possible and dreams, no matter how far-fetched, are not as impossible as they seem to be.  
  
All this broke upon Kairi like a crashing tidal wave as she joyfully laughed out loud, her eyes watching the rainbow with awe and barely concealed happiness. Everything she had Sora had gone through, everything they had shared, every conversation they have had...these precious moments and selfishly-guarded memories Kairi held to her like a mantle as her gaze lingered on the luminescent colors that painted the sky, clear even against the waning of the setting sun and outshining even the first glimmer of stars, the sign of falling night. She placed her hand on her heart, smiling now, a calm and sereneness descending upon her features.  
  
I promise.  
  
Sora...  
  
I'll keep faith. I will...  
  
As the flush of the setting sun submerged completely into the velvety darkness of the night, eclipsing the rainbow, the moon, in all its full beauty hung itself in the sky, an tranquil, glowing orb against the midnight sky, marred only by the faint presence of stars unveiling themselves for all to see. Kairi watched the sky until her neck ached before averting her gaze, her mind spinning with happiness and serenity all at once.  
  
It didn't matter if Sora didn't arrive on the morrow, or the day after that. Time was of no importance when one holds a tryst more precious than life itself, more jealously guarded than immortality. For, if a promise is kept, then who really cared when it is fulfilled? Maybe tomorrow, or the day after that, or even ten years from now. What mattered was that Sora would come back for her, someday.  
  
And she would be right here, waiting.  
  
And until then, she'd always have the rainbow promises, to remind her to always keep faith.  
  
The END 


End file.
